Eight MLB teams set to exceed expectations in 2018

Entering 2017, the Braves were a team filled with young players. Unfortunately, those young players (along with most of their veteran teammates) didn’t exactly click. As a result, Atlanta suffered through its fourth straight losing season. But now, those young players like Dansby Swanson have a full year under their belts. Additionally, Atlanta has more reinforcements coming. Rookie of the Year candidate Ronald Acuna should spend a good portion of 2018 (if not all of it) with the Braves. But behind him are other incoming rookies like Mike Soroka, Luiz Gohara, Kolby Allard, and Max Fried. These are some of the highest-ranked players in Atlanta’s highly regarded farm system. That doesn’t even include guys like Kyle Wright, who could make his way to the majors at the end of the year if things go well. It would be a sizable upset if any team other than the Washington Nationals won this division. But thanks to the Braves and another team we’ll get to shortly, this is not a one-team division. Seattle Mariners Seattle last made the MLB playoffs in 2001. That’s the longest drought in baseball. In fact, with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills making the playoffs in 2017, the Mariners own the longest postseason drought in any of North America’s “big four” leagues. But don’t let that fool you. This team is deep with talent. The lineup is fierce. The heart of it features Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager, and Mike Zunino. That’s a formidable group. That quartet figures… [Read full story]